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Whether you are a picky eater, athlete, elderly, or just want to suppress your appetite, boosting your protein intake can help keep your muscles healthy and increase your muscle mass. Whey protein powder is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to add protein to your diet.

Whey protein comes from the liquid left over from the cheese-making process. This liquid is dried into a powder. Since whey is basically the gross, acrid part of milk, the best supplement companies then introduce flavors and sweeteners to the powder while keeping fat, calories, and carbohydrates to a minimum.

There are three main types of whey protein:

Whey protein concentrate (WPC): This is a concentrated protein that keeps more of the nutrients.

Whey protein isolate (WPI): This is similar to WPC, but most of the carbohydrates, fat, and fat-soluble vitamins have been removed so the powder has a higher percentage of protein.

Whey protein hydrolysate (WPH): WPH is considered "pre-digested" since it breaks down peptides — the building blocks of proteins — to help with quicker absorption.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is about a gram for every three pounds of body weight. So, if you weigh 180 pounds, that would equate to 60 grams of protein per day. Experts suggest taking up to twice that can still produce benefits. However, before you increase your protein intake significantly, you should check with your healthcare professional since people with certain maladies, such as calcium deficiencies or low blood pressure, could experience adverse effects from whey protein.

We recommend buying the whey protein powder you like through Amazon's " Subscribe & Save" program if possible since it can save you up to 15%. At any time, you can cancel your subscription. My favorite part about this program is that it automates ordering products that I have to replenish regularly. For instance, if you take a serving of protein powder every day and there are 30 servings in a container, you can have a new tub delivered every month without lifting a finger.

All of the prices quoted in this guide are based on the current nonsubscription price for the most popular flavor and size of the powder. Prices are subject to change, and you can cut the cost of some powders by choosing to subscribe.

To figure out the cost per serving on your own, take the product's price and divide it by the number of servings in the container. Since the amount of protein per serving varies by brand, it's also useful to look at the cost per gram of protein. This is easy to calculate by dividing the cost per serving (as calculated above) by the number of grams of protein per serving.

While researching the best whey protein powders, we looked at hundreds of expert and buyer reviews and ratings of dozens of brands. Our guide features powders that have a taste you can stomach, a high protein content, and minimal fat, carbs, and calories.

Keep scrolling to read more about our top picks.

The best overall

The Cellucor Whey Protein Isolate & Concentrate Blend Powder not only tastes good and has 24 grams of protein per serving, but it's also the most affordable option in our guide at 71.4 cents per serving and 3 cents per gram of protein. Each serving also only has 1.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 120 calories.

There are seven flavors to choose from, including whipped vanilla, molten chocolate, and cinnamon swirl. Cellucor recommends mixing two scoops with five to six ounces of your preferred beverage, but you can adjust the amount of liquid to fit your tastes. The company also suggests mixing the powder with yogurt, oatmeal, and pancakes.

The Wirecutter test panelists liked the Cellucor Cor-Performance Whey because of taste. The reviewer notes that the texture is smooth, thick, and foamy, although some of its testers found it too sweet. BarBend's reviewer found it mixed easily, tasted great, and was relatively inexpensive. However, he did note that there is a fair amount of sodium (130 mg) and didn't like that it has sucralose, an artificial sweetener.

The best grass-fed whey protein powder

One 30-gram serving of Legion Whey+ Isolate Protein Powder gives you 22 grams of protein, while only adding 100 calories, one gram of fat, and three grams of carbs to your daily total.

There is no sugar in this powder. Instead, it's sweetened with Stevia, a plant-based sugar substitute that is generally considered healthier than artificial sweeteners. The powder is also free of antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs. If you're not satisfied for any reason, Legion Athletics offers a full refund within 90 days of your purchase date.

Best Pre-Workout for Women also complained about how this powder tasted, but the reviewer still recommends it because of the short ingredient list and the high protein content.

About 85% of the people who reviewed the Legion Athletics Whey+ Protein Powder on Amazon gave it 5 stars. The most common comment from buyers is that they appreciate how few calories are in it and that there's no sugar. Many buyers of the chocolate peanut butter flavor say that they like the taste. They say it's similar to chocolate milk with telltale protein notes to it. One reviewer appreciated that it was a healthy way to satisfy chocolate cravings.

Comments about the price are all over the board suggesting that it regularly fluctuates. So, keep your eye out for good deals.

However, there are numerous complaints that the formula has changed recently. The most helpful reviewer pointed out that the blend of digestive enzymes was replaced by ingredients like salt and sucralose, an artificial sweetener. Another buyer argued that the formula has not changed for double rich chocolate (and the label backs this up). Yet, he does warn against flavors like cake batter, ice cream, and banana.

Pros: Tastes good, relatively affordable, safe ingredients

Cons: Complaints about the formula changing, contains an artificial sweetener

It does this with little or no fat or sugar and only 90 calories per serving. The sodium content is also low at 25 mg per serving.

Labdoor independently tests dozens of whey protein powders, and the site recommends the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate because it scored high in Labdoor's ingredient safety, nutritional value, and product purity tests. The testers found there were 21.9 grams of protein in every 25-gram serving.

Fuelboard says this powder provides the best value for his money in his experience. The reviewer notes significant muscle gains after taking 2 or 2.5 scoops per day.

Approximately 82% of the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate reviews on Amazon are positive. One buyer likes that the powder is easy to mix and tastes great without being too sweet. He also finds the texture to be smooth, and it sat well in his stomach.

There are a few complaints, though. One reviewer warns buyers to make sure they are getting the whey isolate and not just the whey concentrate. (If you follow our links, you should be fine.) Another buyer complained that the protein she received had different ingredients than what was advertised, so double check before using.

Labdoor recommends the Dymatize ISO 100 as one of the best whey protein powders. In its tests, the powder had high scores for nutritional value and product purity, including less than one part per million of six harmful substances. Around 91% of the calories in this powder come from its protein content.

The reviewer at Best Pre-Workout for Women found the flavors were sweet, bold, and tasted as advertised. Her favorite is the cookies and cream flavor.

There are more than 3,800 5-star reviews of the Dymatize ISO 100 on Amazon. One reviewer with decades of experience in the pharmacy and biotech fields notes that most supplements are marketing trickery, but for him, this is not the case with Dymatize. He appreciates that it helped with his muscle gains as he lifted and that it didn't cause him gastrointestinal distress.

There are a few quality control complaints from a few years ago about foreign objects in the powder and broken seals. The complaints are not found in more recent reviews, though.

Pros: Lactose-free, 91% of calories are from protein, less than a gram of sugar and fat

Cons: Complaints of foreign objects found in the powder, contains an artificial sweetener, 160 mg sodium per serving

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